1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a durable, lightweight, compact, portable support stand for one end of a piece of material, the other end of which is being worked on with a machine such as an electrical miter saw or a portable thickness planer. Specifically, the invention provides a roller support, the height of which may be adjusted relative to the miter saw or planer stand so that one end of a piece of material, such as a piece of wood, plastic, aluminum siding or other material can be positioned at an optimum height in order to match the height of the opposing end of material supported by the miter saw or planer.
2. Description of Related Art
In working with long pieces of material, such as wood, molding, aluminum siding, or plastic channels, it is important that one end of the material maintains substantially the same height as the opposing end of material being supported by the machine working the piece, such as the stand of a miter saw or planer. Typically, a miter saw supports one end of a piece of material several inches off the ground. The height of miter saw stands typically range from 2¼ inches to about 4¾ inches. If the unworked end of a piece of material were resting on the ground, a worker would find it very awkward to work on the raised end. The piece of material could be, for example, a 2×4, or 2×8 piece of wood, molding or siding. If the orientation is off, i.e. the worked-on end is higher than the opposite end, the cut into the piece, whether by a miter saw or a planer, can be off-center or otherwise out of kilter. Therefore, a support to maintain the unworked end of the piece of material (wood, plastic, metal, etc.) at substantially the same height as the end of the material where the work is taking place is needed. This support will keep the piece at an optimum height for work with the machine.
Moreover, sometimes the work cannot be accomplished in a typical workshop. Often, a carpenter, plumber or metal worker travels away from the convenience of his home office workbench and works on a piece of wood, plastic or metal at a job site. At such times, a portable saw or planer is used. Often, the saw or planer must be placed on the floor of the job site since a workbench is generally not available. Sometimes the job site is a person's home or office, where counter space is limited or non-existent, so the cutting must take place on the floor. The floor may have decorative carpeting, expensive wood or other flooring material that may be marred by the piece if it were dragged across the flooring without a protective covering.
Prior art support stands generally include a telescopic stand that allows the worked end of the material to rest on a workbench while raising the other, unworked end several feet to substantially the same height as the worked end. This type of support is too large and cumbersome to transport and completely inapplicable at job sites where there is no workbench or table to support the saw or planer, which must instead rest on the floor.
Rather, a support stand for a job site application should preferably be compact, lightweight, and sturdy, so the person using it may bring it to the job site without being concerned that the support might break or that the support requires major assembly, as well as adjustable to accommodate different sized planers or saws. Furthermore, once adjusted, it may also be desirable that the support be attachable to a worktable, should one be available, since any unanticipated movement of the piece of material during sawing may result in undesired cuts. In addition, retailers would find it convenient to be able to stack multiple support stands one on top of the other without taking up excess space. Moreover, even a properly positioned support stand may still not do a proper job if it does not provide a guiding member, which guides and aligns the piece of material with the cutting tool.
Prior art support devices are neither compact nor rigid. U.S. Pat. No. 6,179,116 to Noniewicz et al. teaches a collapsible bearing stand with several pieces necessary to adjust height and orientation, and which is impracticable for use with a cutting machine on a floor. U.S. Pat. No. 4,715,488 to Hewitt et al. teaches a collapsible conveyor with pivoting legs, which is cumbersome, heavy and also of no use when a saw is on a floor.
The prior art inventions are not compatible with portable saws or planers placed on a floor. Also, the prior art devices are flimsy and unwieldy and cannot be used both on a floor and be adapted for attachment to a worktable. The prior art supports may mar expensive floor surfaces or carpets. Also, prior art devices do not include removable guide members, and are not stackable.
Accordingly, what is needed in the art is a support stand that will keep the unworked end of an elongated piece of material at substantially the same height and in proper alignment with the worked-upon end of the material when the piece is supported by a saw or planer resting on the floor. It is also desirable to have an adjustable support stand to accommodate various miter saws or planers of different sizes and heights. Also, there is a need for such a support to be attachable to a worktable. The need also exists for the support to be sturdy as well as compact and lightweight. Moreover, a need exists for a support stand, which may be easily stacked upon similar stands. In addition, a need exists for a stackable support, which has a removable guide member.
It is, therefore, to the effective resolution of the aforementioned problems and shortcomings of the prior art that the present invention is directed.